Observatory, Kinpurney Hill
Image: Wikimedia Commons
Kinpurnie Tower crowns Kinpurnie Hill in the Sidlaw range near Newtyle, Angus, Scotland — a striking 18th-century structure that began life as a private observatory.
About Kinpurnie Tower
The 12-metre (39-foot) tower was built in 1766 by amateur astronomer James Stuart-Mackenzie, with the design credited to the Reverend Alexander Bryce (1713–1786). It stands on the hilltop close to the remains of an iron-age fort, giving the site a layered history that reaches back millennia before the tower itself was raised.
History
Kinpurnie Tower fell out of use as an observatory by the mid-19th century and gradually deteriorated. It came close to demolition in the early 1970s, but was preserved and restored rather than torn down. Today it survives as a roofless, windowless shell open to the Angus sky it was once built to study.
Location & getting there
The tower sits on Kinpurnie Hill in the Sidlaw range, in the Angus council area of Scotland, United Kingdom — a hilltop setting reached on foot near Newtyle.
Visiting Kinpurnie Tower
As a preserved historic structure in open countryside, the tower is generally accessible on foot; check local access guidance or the Angus council area's heritage listings before visiting.
See your named star from here
Two and a half centuries after James Stuart-Mackenzie first used this hilltop to study the sky, a star named through Star Register brings the same idea into the present — a specific point of light with its own coordinates. Name a star or browse the catalogue.
Opening hours and public-visit programs vary by season. Check Google Maps for current times before you travel.
